


There Are Three Sides To Me

by Mysenia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M, Mild Blood, Multi, unintentional self-harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5178749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysenia/pseuds/Mysenia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles does not like the idea of Soulmates because of watching what it did to his father when the man lost his soulmate. So when he meets his, he is not thrilled and the meeting unsettles him. When his Soulmate does not recognize him, Stiles is more shaken up by it than he thought he would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So originally this was just going to be a Tumblr story but I actually forgot I was writing it, and I am so sorry for that! So I'm posting it here as a reminder to myself. I will be updating it on Tumblr first.  
> [My Tumblr](http://mysenia.tumblr.com/)

Stiles knows that Soulmates aren’t the be-all and end-all but to not have someone out there who has your first words to them inked on your skin is pretty rare. Words fade or a body is born bare but Fate has a way of making things work out in the end. Except, apparently, when Stiles Stilinski is involved.

He’s not a pessimist he just knows that sometimes Fate fucks up royally and if ever there lived a person to whom that shitpile would land on, well, Stiles just knows it has a funny way of landing on his doorstep. He’d learned young that Soulmates could be as much a detriment as a blessing as he’d had to watch both his parents fade away in the wake of his mother’s illness.

There’s a reason most people don’t survive the passing of their Soulmate, the literal void created by the loss almost impossible to fill up. John Stilinski had barely managed to stay afloat, only thanks to self medicating on a crateful of whiskey had the man even managed to bear the pain. There was no cure, no fix-all medication that soothed and mended.

Stiles still caught glimpses of a haunted ghost lurking in his dad’s eyes when the man didn’t have enough to occupy his mind. Stiles couldn’t begrudge him for throwing himself into his work, into his alcohol induced stupors, because it meant the man was still alive. Still around to give Stiles heck for skipping class and pulling him close for hugs, for rough I love you’s pressed deep into temples when the two of them were overcome with the loss of a third of their family.

So Stiles had set out to make sure he kept his dad healthy so that they could continue to be there for each other but through it all he’d become completely disillusioned to Soulmates. He’d even come to dread meeting his, fear of the kind of debilitating reliance on someone other than him and his dad. He ignored it most days.

There were days though where ignoring his Fate, ignoring the words elegantly looped on his wrist, became impossible. His classmates were slowly finding their one and onlys as the scope of their travelling became larger and larger.

Stiles didn’t travel, had never actually gone farther than the next state for a camping trip with his dad. It’s not that he didn’t want to travel, part of him did, but the larger part of him had grown extremely anxious to be further than 20 minutes away from his dad at any given time. Nothing but being able to physically see his dad had ever cured him when he’d fallen deep into an anxiety induced panic and the Sheriff hadn’t been much better. So the two of them stuck close and did what they had to do to get by.

Neither of them ever talked about what would happen when Stiles met his Soulmate but Stiles thought that was for the best. Stiles did his best to fill their holes and for the most part he did a really good job; it was easy to ignore something that you didn’t want so Stiles never felt empty, never felt the need to look, because he felt content with what he had and besides his hands were full.

  
Fate however didn’t see it that way and set out to prove to Stiles that the he’d only just seen the tip of the iceberg when it had come to his life being completely derailed.


	2. Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided I'm going to use Adele's song as Chapter titles.

Stiles stumbled down the stairs while pulling on his shirt, already running late for his meeting with Derek. They had been paired for a project in English and Derek had wanted to meet him to work on it at a cafe downtown. Normally that wouldn’t have been a problem except for Derek wanting to meet at 10:00 on a Saturday morning when Stiles normally didn’t even get up until 2 or 3 in the afternoon - which Derek very well knew but he was an early riser.

So Stiles had set three alarms and had barely managed to roll out of bed when the third one went off which meant Stiles had only a 20 minute window before he would be late. His dad was on the morning shift so he didn’t have to worry about throwing a yelled goodbye over his shoulder as he ran out the door, quickly locking it behind him, before running to his Jeep.

In his balance to get enough sleep but also leave himself enough time to make it to the cafe on time Stiles had forgotten one tiny thing: parking downtown on a Saturday. He groaned as he turned onto the cafe’s street only to see all available parking spots taken up.

He debated with himself for half a second before shrugging and heading towards the Sheriff’s station. His dad knew he was meeting Derek so he’d forgive Stiles for the abuse of privilege that came with being the Sheriff’s son, and parked in the last spot of the row in the parking lot - though he did take a moment to text his dad and let him know.

Looking at the time on his phone, Stiles cursed as he saw that it had taken him longer to find a parking spot than he’d thought and he was running late. Derek and he may be best friends but for some reason Derek valued punctuality above all else and always gave Stiles heck when he was late. So Stiles took off running down the street, hoping that if Derek saw him panting he’d give him some leeway in the evidence of Stiles having tried to make it on time.

As he came upon the cafe windows he squinted his eyes at the windows hoping to see through them to spot Derek but unfortunately all he saw was his reflection. Even though it was futile Stiles kept looking and was therefore completely unprepared to stop when someone stepped out of the cafe and Stiles ran right into the person.

Stiles’ immediate reaction to flail was thankfully stymied by the person grabbing onto his biceps and stabilising him. Stiles was finally able to focus and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop his mouth from falling open. For some reason the guy seemed familiar to Stiles even though Stiles knew he’d never met the man.

“Woah there little one.” The man chuckled at him as he took a step back.

Stiles couldn’t move though, frozen by those four words. He blinked and looked around, shook his head to clear the fog as the man bemusedly looked on.

“It’s you.” Stiles breathed, voice gone rough. He coughed to clear his throat.

The man continued to look at Stiles, face slowly morphing to one of confusion. “I don’t believe we’ve met, have we?” He asked and Stiles felt his stomach drop.

For a moment all Stiles could hear was the rushing of his own blood, the world’s noises sealed away as his world narrowed to the pressure rising in his chest. A harsh sob worked it’s way up his throat and letting it out was like popping a balloon as the world came rushing back in. He bent over his knees, bracing himself as vertigo hit him hard and he couldn’t catch his breath.

Black spots danced across his vision until he couldn’t see the sidewalk underneath his feet and he feared he would fall over. He could feel his body swaying and it made him nauseous. Strong hands gripped his shoulders and Stiles instantly felt anchored by the touch.

It didn’t take long for his thoughts to surface and he was instantly able to deduce that his fine motor skills coming back online was thanks to the grounding touch of the man, his Soulmate. He didn’t think laughing would lend credence to his mental health so he bit his lips hard to keep the hysterical chuckle inside.

If Stiles could have said how he thought Fate would screw him over, he would have picked his Soulmate dying before he had a chance to meet them. That had been his most morbid thought on the subject.

Having his Soulmate not even recognize him? Even that option had never crossed Stiles’ mind.

He allowed the man to help him upright as all the symptoms but the turmoil stewing in his stomach left him and he grimaced at his Soulmate. “Wow, sorry about that.”

Stiles didn’t know what else to say though. What was a person supposed to say when their Soulmate quite clearly didn’t hear their bond identifying words spoken to them? His Soulmate opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the door to the cafe whipping open and nearly hitting the two of them.

“Stiles are you alright?” Derek asked, concern written in every line of his body. He stepped up Stiles and ran a hand across Stiles’ forehead before dropping his hand to grip the back of Stiles’ neck.

“Shit yeah man. Clearly I was not made to be a sprinter.” He tried to explain away what had just happened.

“You know this young man, Derek?” His Soulmate turned questioning eyes on Derek as he dropped his hands from Stiles’ arms now that it was apparent Stiles could hold himself up.

“Uh yeah. Uncle Peter, this is Stiles. Stiles, Uncle Peter.” Derek gestured between the two and Stiles held out his hand - not the one with the damning words inked into his skin - for a handshake. Peter lightly took his hand, gave it a brief shake, before dropping it.

It finally clicked why the man looked familiar and now that he had the two standing side by side it was easy to see the familial resemblance.

“Nice to meet you.” Stiles told Peter, his lessons in manners making themselves known. His dad would be proud. “I’m really very sorry for running into you. I have a habit of being clumsy but it usually doesn’t involve other people.” He laughed to cover the awkwardness that had settled like a shroud around them.

Peter didn’t respond beyond a hum and Stiles wished he was anywhere but standing before the man, feeling humiliated and raw around the edges.

“Well I best be off. People to do, things to see, and all that.” Peter said before pivoting and walking away down the street.

The quip hurt but Stiles fought off the prickling feeling of tears and turned to Derek. “Aside from saving the both of us from unpleasant sidewalk burn, your uncle is kind of an asshole.”

“Yeah.” Derek dragged the word out and shrugged at Stiles. There was clearly a story there. “Come on, I’ll buy you a cheese danish to make up for it.”

Stiles was never one to turn down free food so he followed Derek inside and up to the counter. After Derek ordered Stiles’ danish, Stiles ordered himself a coffee and they headed for the table Derek had procured before Stiles had arrived.

More than usual Stiles couldn’t sit still, his mind running over the encounter with his Soulmate. For Peter Hale was his Soulmate, of that Stiles had no doubt. When the man had spoken Stiles’ soulmark words Stiles had felt like all the pain he’d had festering inside since his mom had passed away had been blown away by the bond recognition setting in. Only it hadn’t lasted.

Stiles didn’t know why Peter had not immediately recognized him in return. He’d never even heard of a situation like the one he currently found himself in. Peter had dismissed him as easy as breathing and Stiles could feel the fracturing in his mind. He honestly didn’t know what to do.

Thankfully Stiles had the English project, and Derek, to immediately take his mind off of what had happened outside. They quickly settled into doing the project which Stiles was grateful for. There was a gnawing ache eating away at his diaphragm and he needed the distraction. It took them two hours to hash out the details and divvy up who was doing what but they walked out of the cafe happy with their progress.

“So you want to go grab some lunch since it’s about that time anyway?” Stiles asked and Derek nodded so they kept walking along the street to the corner deli.

“I’m sorry about Uncle Peter.” Derek blurted out and Stiles looked at him in confusion. Yes Stiles was dying to talk about the man but he hadn’t made any hints about it. Derek’s comment threw him off. “Well I just, he’s not usually that rude. Or well, he is, but. I don’t know how to explain it. All I know is that normally he wouldn’t have just walked away like that.” Derek tried to explain but Stiles just ended up confused.

“Okay, so what’s his deal? Is it because I ran into him because I did apologise for that.” Stiles figured he may as well continue the conversation now that Derek had conveniently started on the topic he was itching to talk about.

“Look, let’s get lunch first and find a private place to sit.” Derek told him. Stiles shut down the urge to fist pump. He could absolutely wait a little while longer to learn what was up with his Soulmate.

It was short work going in and getting their sandwiches from the deli - turkey for Derek and ham for Stiles - before they made their way over to the small shaded picnic area just across the street from the deli. It was a beautiful day out and sitting under the shade of the trees made for the perfect place to eat and relax, as well as find out what the hell was up with Stiles’ Soulmate.

Stiles didn’t want to be the one to start the conversation up again so he stared at the side of Derek’s head until his best friend turned to look at him.

“Last week Uncle Peter met his Soulmate.”

 


	3. Melt My Heart to Stone

Stiles choked on the food he had been in the process of swallowing. He coughed and coughed as Derek rubbed his back and told him to raise his arms above his head. He managed to swallow his food but breathing was difficult. His vision swam in and out, and he felt faint.

It took long moments for Stiles to regain his equilibrium and when he managed to raise his head again Derek was looking at him concernedly. He could not exactly wave off the extreme reaction he had just had so he just shook his head at Derek.

“Don’t ask.”

Thankfully Derek knew him well enough to know that Stiles would tell him when he was ready.

Except Stiles did not know what he would tell his best friend. Your Uncle met his Soulmate but apparently I met mine in him? That was not a conversation that would go over smoothly. How did someone end up with a Soulmate who already had a Soulmate?

“So he was an asshole because he met his Soulmate? Isn’t that usually cause for giddiness and celebration?” Stiles asked.

Though going by his own encounter with his Soulmate, Stiles could honestly say it was not all that great. Sure he had felt whole and hale, but that had been momentary and fleeting at best. Now it only felt like a sucker punch to all his most sensitive areas.

Fate was a jackass.

“That’s what everyone always says but who really knows until you experience for yourself.” Derek shrugged. “Anyway, it did not go well for Uncle Peter.”

Stiles waited with bated breath for Derek to continue but his best friend only continued to eat his sandwich. Stiles wanted to shake him but he did not want to reveal his eagerness quite yet; for that would mean showing Derek his soul-bonding words and revealing that Stiles had been screwed over by Fate. Not that Derek did not know Stiles’ bonding words, as he knew Derek’s, but it was not something they oft talked about or worried over.

Derek was of the same mindset as Stiles concerning Soulmates. Yes he had the soul-bonding words but that was where all his fascination and wonder with them began and ended. Derek’s older sister Laura had been outright rejected by her Soulmate, a witch of a woman named Kate Argent who was more interested in sleeping around then settling down with her one and only, and that had quite soured Derek’s childlike innocence concerning the entire thing.

Stiles had met Laura on a number of occasions and though she was a strong woman, there sat in her eyes a somberness that seemed too large to comprehend. Stiles understood, well at least to a certain extent because of his own dad’s pain of loss, but there was an edge to her that was missing from his dad because of the rejection she experienced.

Stiles wondered if that was what was happening to him, being rejected. He had subtly checked while they were getting their sandwiches but his words were still starkly tattooed into his skin, no hint of scarring that normally came from a rejection. None of it made any sense and just further justified his hate of Fate and the entire concept of Soulmates.

“It didn’t go over well how? Did his Soulmate reject him? Sucker punch him for being rude or something?” Stiles certainly wished he could have punched Peter if only so the man could feel a fraction of the pain Stiles felt at the rejection. Snub. Whatever one would call it when Fate fucked them over so royally.

“I don’t know all the details, only that the bond wasn’t reciprocated.” Derek explained with a constipated look - the one he got whenever he was confused by something.

“Oh.” Stiles was, quite literally, speechless.

So the bond wasn’t reciprocated but not outright rejected. Is that what had happened between him and Peter as well? Stiles wondered what the odds were of two people having Soulmates that did not share the bond being connected.

“Yeah.” Derek agreed.

They ate the rest of their lunch talking about upcoming tests, and made plans to meet again on Tuesday after school to continue their project. Stiles wanted to get home to do some research on soul bonds so he did not bring up Peter again and Derek seemed glad to no longer be talking about his uncle. It made Stiles wonder what Derek would say if he knew that Peter was Stiles’ Soulmate.

Though Stiles truly did not want a Soulmate, he could not deny the curiousity bubbling up inside of him now that he had actually met the man. However, further explorations were halted when he received a text from his dad summoning him to the precinct.

He parted ways from Derek and stopped by the Deli to pick up a sandwich for his dad. Though he had just finished eating he did not mind sitting with his dad while the man ate lunch. Plus the idea of seeing his dad then, with his feelings churning and his gut nauseated, calmed the anxiety drifting to the surface. He did not want to tell his dad what had happened but he had never hidden anything from the man before and he knew he would not hide this either.

* * *

The precinct was more home to Stiles than even his own home sometimes, so walking into the building was like walking into a warm hug. It comforted him and made him feel at ease, swaddled in a welcoming atmosphere. He greeted Tara who was working the front desk and made his way back to his dad’s office, shouting hellos as he went.

The Sheriff was hunched over his desk going over paperwork when Stiles walked in, and Stiles did not fight the urge to go over and hug his old man. He and his dad had been through the coals and back, and Stiles knew they would weather this newest disturbance as well.

“Hey kiddo.” His dad hugged him tight and Stiles relaxed into the embrace. There was nothing quite like getting a hug from his dad.

“Hey pops, brought you some lunch.” Stiles placed the sandwich in front of his dad and smiled as he heard a rumble come from the man’s stomach. “Good thing too it seems! You might have wasted away here if you’d been left to fend for yourself.” Stiles laughed as he dodged his dad’s swat and sat himself down in the chair in front of his dad’s desk.

“I would have grabbed something eventually. I do have a few frozen lunches in the freezer.” The Sheriff stuck his tongue out at Stiles before taking a big bite out of his sandwich.

“You know, it’s much easier to eat one of the pre-made lunches if you remembered to take it out of the freezer either the day before or in the morning when you walk in.” Stiles reminded him, a conversation they had had a hundred times before and would like continue to have in the future.

“Yeah yeah, so you keep telling me. So, how did you get along with Derek? Is the project done?”

Stiles could not help the laugh he let out at the question. Only someone who was no longer in high school would think that it would take only one morning to finish a project.

“No the project isn’t done. We got the outline finished and Derek’s coming over on Tuesday after school so we can work on it some more.” Stiles took a deep breath, wondering how he should break the news to his dad.

The man was relaxed and even seemed content. He had not had a relapse in years and it made Stiles worry about how this news would affect him. However, he could not predict his dad’s reaction and he knew that his dad would want to hear it regardless of how it might affect him.

“So I have some news.” Stiles chewed his bottom lip as he waited for his dad to motion him to continue. “Uh, important news.” He paused.

“I’m all ears Stiles.”

“I might have met my Soulmate today.” He coughed out, unable to quite meet his dad’s eyes.

The Sheriff waited until Stiles looked at him again before speaking.

“What do you mean, might have?” The Sheriff asked.

This was the hard part. The part that Stiles was unsure of how to tell him. This was the part where normally Stiles would spill all knowing his dad would have a solution, or at least be able to come up with one, but Stiles did not think that would be the case today.

“I’m not his Soulmate, or at least I don’t think I am. He said his soul-bonding words to me, I felt it deep in my core that he was the one, but I didn’t say my soul-bonding words to him?” Stiles rushed out, more question than fact as his confusion surfaced.

“Show me your wrist.” His dad commanded and Stiles was only too willing to comply.

His dad held his wrist gently as his examined Stiles’ soul-bond tattoo, twisting it this way and that before running his thumb over the words. He released Stiles’ arm as he settled into, what Stiles liked to call, his Sheriff mode - back straight, hands steepled in front of him, and a slight frown twisting down the corners of his mouth.

“How are you feeling?”

Stiles wasn’t expecting that question, at least not first, so he flailed a bit as he tried to sum up the thoughts running around his head and the feelings bloating his stomach.

“Uh, not good?” He finally uttered, the weight of the situation finally crashing down on him. An overwhelming wall of grief hit him and he could not have stopped the tears that sprang to his eyes.

He heard his dad clatter up from his chair but he could not see through the tears flowing down his cheeks as sobs wracked his frame. He moved with his dad as the man stood him up from the chair and walked him over to the couch in the corner of the room.

He clung to his dad as the man hugged him tight and rubbed his back, placing soft kisses into Stiles’ hairline as he let Stiles cry himself out. His dad did not try to placate him with empty words and for that Stiles was grateful. He did not want to hear that it would be all right, or that everything would work itself out because he knew those would be empty platitudes that would just anger him.

He cried for long minutes, face tucked into his dad’s chest in a bid to hide from the world and the cruelty of Fate. At that moment he was not a strong young man, protecting his dad from memories of his own lost Soulmate, but a scared little boy who needed the comfort and protection of his dad.

Even as his tears tapered off, Stiles gripped his dad close; It felt like his dad was the only thing anchoring him down at the moment.

“Are you going to tell me his name?” The Sheriff asked as he wiped away Stiles’ tears.

Stiles let out a choked laugh-sob and shook his head. “No.” The Sheriff squeezed him tighter. “Maybe tomorrow. I don’t want to think about him right now.” Stiles conceded, knowing he would tell his dad eventually but he was not prepared to right then.

“Okay, well let’s get you home then. I’ll have one of the deputies pick me up on Monday for work.”

The Sheriff quickly ushered Stiles out to his jeep after having a quick word with Deputy Parrish. His dad was taking the rest of the weekend off work so he could spend time with Stiles, even if they did nothing but watch movies all weekend and saved the heavy talk for later.

As his dad drove them home, Stiles could not help but be thankful to everything that had brought them to this moment. Yes they had had some tough years after his mom had passed away but they had come out of it closer and Stiles would not give that up for the world.


	4. I Found a Boy

The rest of Saturday they spent in quiet companionship. The Sheriff made breakfast for dinner - their usual Saturday evening fare - and they watched a documentary. Stiles did not really pay attention to the movie, his thoughts turning inwards to think over everything that had happened earlier in the day.

It was easier to relax back into himself with the presence of his dad beside him. Though his thoughts were still dark he did not fall into the murkiness of them like he would have had he been alone.

Going to bed had been a bit more difficult as Stiles could not help thinking he might dream about Peter, but he thankfully slept without dreams the entire night.

Waking up, he felt groggy and not at all present. The ache in his chest seemed to have grown overnight and Stiles clutched at his chest, hoping the pressure would dull the ache. It did not help.

He got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs and greeted his dad who was sipping coffee at the table. Stiles deemed it a grilled cheese kind of morning and set about making enough for him and his dad to enjoy.

His dad set a prepared mug of coffee beside him and he smiled gratefully before turning his attention back to the cooking food.

“So,” Stiles let the sound draw out. “Peter Hale is my soulmate.” Stiles said quickly. Like ripping off a bandaid, fast with just a slight twinge of pain.

The Sheriff hummed behind him. “As in Derek’s Uncle Peter?”

Stiles flipped the sandwiches over in the pan. He took in a deep breath of the yummy smell. “Yup.” He replied, almost distractedly.

“And what was your first impression of him?” His dad asked, a hint of his Sheriff voice slipping in.

“He’s an asshole.” He laughed as he plated the food and walked them over to the table. There was already ketchup on the table and Stiles liberally poured some onto his plate.

His dad let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, he really is.” The Sheriff took a bite of his sandwich and ate it before continuing. “Would you be willing to tell me about what, exactly, happened yesterday?”

Stiles knew that though it was phrased as a question that his dad would not be happy until he eventually got an answer. So Stiles proceeded to detail the entire counter in between bites of food.

He was not skipping food to moan over an asshole who had not even given him the time of day. He could survive without Peter, he could not survive without food.

“But Derek was telling me that Peter met his Soulmate last week? Except, pretty much exactly what happened to me with Peter happened to Peter with his Soulmate? So I’m not really sure what to think of it.” Stiles sat back in his chair and pushed his plate away.

Stiles watched as his dad sat there thinking. It was clear he was running through his memory to see if he could ever remember such an occurrence happening.

Finally the Sheriff sighed. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of anything like that happening.”

Stiles tried to not let his disappointment show. He had not taken the time to research on the internet so there was still hope that there was some kind of answer out there.

“It has to be connected though.”

Stiles glanced sharply at his dad as the man let those words out. “A connection between Peter, me, and Peter’s soulmate?” Stiles asked.

Stiles can remember thinking that yesterday but he had not put much credence to the thought. Now that his dad was mentioning it though he let himself revisit the thought. He had learned his ability to deduce things from the man but he did not always trust his instincts the way his dad had learned to.

“Yes.” The Sheriff answered his question. “Do you know the name of Peter’s soulmate?”

Stiles shook his head no. He had wanted to ask Derek but his best friend had seemed reluctant to keep talking about his Uncle so Stiles had let it go.

“I could always ask Derek but I really don’t want him questioning why I’m asking about his Uncle’s soulmate.” Stiles said before shrugging. “I kind of want to forget I ever ran into Peter.”

It was his dad’s turn to sigh. “I’m not sure that’s the best option but it’s up to you.”

Stiles pursed his lips as butterflies fluttered in his stomach. His dad was not disappointed but Stiles hated that he felt like he was letting the man down anyway.

“Whatever. I’m not going to think about it anymore. Want to throw a baseball around for a bit?” Stiles asked. He was starting to feel closed in by the house and the pain in his chest. He needed to get out of the house.

The Sheriff nodded before getting up to clear away the dishes. He shooed Stiles away to get dressed and grab their baseball gloves.

It was brisk out when they stepped outside together thirty minutes later but Stiles knew he would warm up quickly. The familiar act of catching and throwing the baseball soothed his nerves and enabled him to stop thinking about Peter Hale and every jumbled thought that accompanied thoughts of the man.

They spent the rest of the morning tossing the baseball back and forth. By the time they made it inside for lunch, Stiles’ arm was straining from the repetitive motion and force needed to throw the ball.

For the first time since yesterday morning he finally felt like he could breathe. His entire body was tingling in a good way and he could feel himself smiling goofily.

His dad pulled him for a hug and Stiles returned it enthusiastically. They were okay. They would weather this situation just like every other time something had happened. Just like they had a process in place to handle Stiles’ panic attacks. Just like they had a process for when the Sheriff fell into a dark place when the bond void became too much.

* * *

Waking up on Monday morning, Stiles quickly ran through his morning routine. He had had a rough night’s sleep and that meant he’d slept through his first alarm - it happened often enough that he had two later alarms set just in case.

His dad was just coming down the stairs as Stiles packed his lunch. The Sheriff was working the afternoon shift so he had the luxury of lazing around for a few more hours.

The man shuffled into the kitchen and headed straight for the fresh pot of coffee Stiles had just finished making. It was the last thing Stiles did in the morning so his coffee would stay hot throughout the morning.

He left the house not long after his dad made himself comfortable at the table and made it to school just in time for the warning bell to ring. He did not bother to stop at his locker, instead beelining it towards first period.

Derek smirked at him as Stiles fell into his seat and managed to slide his desk sideways an inch. He flipped Derek his middle finger just as their teacher walked into the room. He winced and dropped his hand as the teacher gave him an unimpressed look.

“Mr Stilinski, if you would please refrain from such rude gestures in the future it would be appreciated.”

Stiles nodded as his classmates sniggered, some even turning around to stare at him. He shrugged at them and gestured for them to turn back around. He had not finished his coffee and did not feel like dealing with their incessant giggling.

Thankfully class went by quickly enough and soon Stiles found himself walking down the hall with Derek to their next class. His best friend was strangely quiet and Stiles nudged him. “What’s up dude?”

“Kate’s in town.” Derek answered, biting at his bottom lip.

“Oh shit man. Is Laura okay?” Stiles asked as he pulled Derek into a quick one-armed side hug.

“Yeah, I mean I don’t know. You know how she is. Fine one moment and then the next she’s bitching at me because she’s angry.” Derek’s face took on a pinched look as he replied. “It does not help that it seems like a permanent thing, at least for now. Kate’s brother moved here and Kate followed him.”

Derek stopped outside the classroom as they still had a couple of minutes until class started. “It’s not just Laura that’s affected either. Kate’s brother is apparently Uncle Peter’s soulmate.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.” Stiles could not help but say, mouth gaping open.

Derek gave him his constipated look. “No, it’s true.” He explained, probably reacting to the thought that Stiles did not believe him. “Kate is, or was Laura’s soulmate and Chris, that’s Kate’s brother, is Uncle Peter’s soulmate.”

“Okay, seriously, what are the chances of that happening?”

Derek shrugged at him. Stiles mind was whirring, trying to get all the information to line up in a way that made sense to him. Unfortunately, they had to scramble into class before he could wrap his mind around the thoughts furiously whizzing through his mind.

The rest of the day went by quickly if only because Stiles was too caught up on thinking about Laura, Peter, Kate, and Kate’s brother to fully concentrate on anything else. He really did not want to think about Peter - and thinking about Kate pissed him off - but he was so fascinated by the oddity of it all.

Apparently Fate was not only out to get Stiles but Peter as well. Stiles will admit to knowing how the man felt, having his soulmate so close but eons away because the bond was not reciprocated and now having to live in the same town. It was a torture only Fate could whip up and he cursed at it.

What truly intrigued him though was that Peter’s soulmate just so happened to be the brother of Laura’s soulmate.

Stiles had read of the same thing happening between two sets of twins but it was still not a common occurrence. It made Stiles wonder what would have happened had Kate not rejected Laura and Peter’s bond to Chris still wasn’t reciprocated; or what would have happened had Peter’s bond to Chris been reciprocated but Kate had still rejected Laura.

There were many possibilities floating through his brain, and Stiles distractedly said goodbye to Derek as he walked to his car.  Distracted enough that he narrowly avoided missing the car swinging into the spot beside his car.

He curbed his initial reaction of wanting to kick the car that almost hit him and took a picture of the license plate instead. This way he could make sure the officers kept an eye out for the reckless driver and Stiles would not potentially have the cops called on him.

He was expecting some jackass teenager to step out of the car and was wholly unprepared for the army type sex bomb to step out. The man was older than Stiles, probably late twenties if Stiles had to guess, and had a severeness to him that instantly made Stiles wary.

The man turned to look at Stiles with a frown. “I’m sorry, didn’t see you there.”

Stiles did not think the apology all that sincere but he smirked at the guy as he let his eyes rove over the man. “You’re lucky you’re fucking attractive.” Stiles winked at him, prepared to laugh at the man’s reaction.

Except the man froze and stared at Stiles in a way that made him slightly uncomfortable.

The man took a step forward, looking like he was going to round the car. “Did you-” He starts speaking, arm raised as if reaching for Stiles.

“Um, okay then. Bye!” Stiles squeaked out and jumped into his jeep, quickly starting it.

The man was giving him the creeps and he had learned long ago to follow his instincts. As he was pulling out of the parking lot he could still see the man standing beside his car watching as Stiles drove away.

 


	5. Remedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shoutout to [Sushi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SushiOwl/pseuds/SushiOwl) for picking what kind of pup Mindy is! <3

The rest of Monday was spent scrolling through pages upon pages of information on Soulmates. Unsurprisingly Stiles could find no information on his situation but he had not held much hope in it. His only concrete theory was that his situation and Peter’s were somehow connected which, admittedly, was not a lot to go on.

He sighed through his nose as he closed yet another useless tab. Though the internet had countless thousands of pages on Soulmates, even it was bound to come up dry on something and it seemed that Stiles had found it’s weakness.

His phone binged and Stiles readily took a break of researching to text his dad.

Stiles laughed as he put his phone down. He needed to get up and stretch, walk away from the disappointment that was the internet in that moment. 

Stiles will admit, if only to himself, that in the moment that the bond clicked - where everything just seemed _right_ \- he did not hate the idea of Soulmates. It had been euphoric, all the dark parts hidden deep inside him filled with a warm light that just lifted him up. For once, no negative thoughts had been clouding him.

Of course, as with everything, it did not last. The crash, landing back in the harsh, stark reality, was infinitely more familiar to Stiles. The pain of it an old friend from wounds past.

If Stiles had not been disillusioned of Soulmates before he certainly was now. He did not need more pain in his life. He absolutely was not going to pine away in misery, hoping that just maybe Peter would turn around to see him for what he was to the man.

_Soulmate._

To Stiles, the word was more vulgar than the grossest of swear words. It was not a hopeful word. It did not inspire love. It was a cruel invention of Fate to pull unsuspecting victims in and torture them all for Fate’s own amusement. 

People agonized over meeting their Soulmate; over making a good first impression. Destiny, inevitability - it was already written in the stars, supposedly.

Nothing could be done about the natures of people though. Even Fate could not predict the depravity lurking deep in one’s soul, no matter what the textbooks said. Fate could not predict people like Kate Argent, turning her back on her Soulmate and forever tainting the kind soul that was Laura Hale.

For something that supposedly ruled the world, Fate was quite dense - or perhaps that was only the people who believed in it. To make people so dependant on others in a way that left them worse than vulnerable? Soulmates were not something that should be dictated, and yet so much stock was put into them. 

Stiles groaned at the downward spiral the direction of his thoughts were going, _again_. He needed to get out, do something that did not involve being left with his own thoughts. He immediately thought of calling Derek but it was a Monday night and that meant his best friend would currently be busy having family time.

The first time Derek has told him about it Stiles had laughed and then been extremely envious. As an only child with a single parent, life could be quite lonely in the Stilinski household. Of course, Stiles had a standing invitation to family night but the chances of running into Peter there were too high.

Cringing, Stiles thought to himself. _No thanks_.

Pushing away from his desk, Stiles grabbed up his phone and keys. He needed the cool air and open spaces of outside. The house was confining and it felt like he was being closed in.

Stiles lived only about ten minutes away from the local park and with his headphones in hand he drove there and walked around, music his background noise. The light of the day was still shining bright and the air whistling through his lungs was fresh.

He was able to relax for all of five minutes before his peace was disturbed by the barking of a dog. He jerked around at the sound, heard even over Stiles’ music, and turned just in time to see the barking dog beelining for him. 

The dog looked to be some sort of pitbull cross, black all over with a white patch on its chest and a cute little white patch under its muzzle. The dog’s ears were flapping as it bounded over to Stiles and he laughed when it bounded into his legs. The dog could not be more than a few months old, still tripping over too big paws but there was no denying that it was just the cutest little dog.

“[Mindy](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1f/d6/ef/1fd6efbbc12b9e7e8823d824a7897910.jpg)!”

Stiles glanced over at the man striding quickly over to them. Stiles froze where he was scratching at Mindy’s ears at least he did until she nudged him to continue. Of course his peace would be interrupted by the weird man from the parking lot.

“Dude, if it were not for this cutie pie here I would think you were stalking me.” Stiles told the man as he continued to pet the dog. The surprise on the man’s face also helped to lessen the notion of stalking, unless the man was a supreme actor. 

“Uh s-sorry.” The man stuttered as he bent down to be level with Stiles and Mindy.

 _Damn, not only hot but cute too!_ Stiles thought, mentally rolling his eyes at himself.

“I’m, uh, Chris.” The man held out his hand.

Stiles analyzed him for a moment. “You sure about that?” He laughed as Chris gaped at him. “I’m Stiles.”

This Chris, who looked completely wrong footed with a little puppy drooling all over his hands, was someone that Stiles could see himself getting to know. This Chris was eons away from the creep in the parking lot mere hours before, and Stiles felt himself relaxing.

“Sorry about Mindy, we’re still in training.” Chris smiled down at said pup and Stiles felt his heart lurch. 

The way Chris say _we’re_ had Stiles melting, just a little bit. There was so much love in the man’s voice.

“That’s all right! She is such a beautiful little girl.” Stiles smiled at Chris as he put a hand out to pet Mindy again.

Mindy’s little tail was wagging so quickly that Stiles thought she might fall over from the force of it. He laughed as she tried to jump into his lap.

He gestured to the little pup before looking at Chris. “May I?” Chris nodded and Stiles scooped the wiggling pup up and nuzzled her face. She took the opportunity to enthusiastically kiss all over Stiles’ face.

It took a couple of minutes before Mindy had decided she had had enough of kissing Stiles and rested her head on his shoulder instead. Stiles squeezed her little body tightly against him, marvelling at the trust of the little creature. He was in love.

Chris moved in his peripheries and Stiles glanced over at the man. He had honestly forgot the man for a moment. 

Chris had a fond smile pulling up the edges of his lips; Stiles felt himself flushing in response to the look. He coughed which caused Mindy to jolt in his arms and he gently placed the pup on the ground.

“How old-”

“Would you-”

Both men laughed before Stiles gestured for Chris to speak first.

“Would you like to join us in walking? We just moved here so we don’t know the area.” Chris admitted, almost shyly.

“Sure.”

Stiles noticed that though Chris held a leash in his hand but he made no move to put it on the pup. Instead Chris gave her a treat and stood up, Stiles following suite, and proceeded to walk towards the path lining the edge of the park. 

Mindy followed along at their feet for the most part, venturing off here and there only for Chris to call her back. Chris rewarded her with a treat every time she listened and scolded her with a firm “No, no, no. You come here.” when she ventured further off instead. It was quite cute.

“So how old is she?” Stiles asked after they had been walking along one of the paths that led them into the forest. The sun was still high in the sky so it was easy going making their way along under the shade of the trees.

“The vet thinks around 3 and a half months. She was found abandoned on the side of the road and was really scrawny when she was brought into the shelter. I worked there as a volunteer and fell in love the moment I laid eyes on her. That’s why she’s so small.” Chris told him, turning his head to look at where Mindy was barking at something. Chris glanced back over at Stiles quickly, eyes wide. “Sorry, you did not ask for all that. My mouth just kind of ran away from me.”

Stiles chortled, honest to god. He flushed at himself. “S’all good. She’s your little lady, of course you want to talk about her.” Stiles cringed at himself. He felt so awkward around Chris. 

It was a huge 180 from how he felt around Chris just hours ago in the school parking lot. 

“So, do you know someone who goes to Beacon Hills High?” Stiles asked, the question foremost in his mind now that he was thinking of their first meeting.

“Ah no, I’m going to be teaching some self defense classes there this semester.” 

“Oh! Cool.”

“Yeah, should be fun. I was at the school to meet Coach Finstock today.” Chris laughed and Stiles joined him. Coach Finstock was his favourite teacher but he was absolutely unique and it took some getting used to the man. Stiles silently wished Chris good luck. “Do you go to school there?” Chris asked and there was some emotion behind the question but Stiles could not parse it.

“Yeah, this is my last year.”

Chris hummed in response and looked away. Mindy chose that moment to flop down onto her belly in front of them on the path and Chris bent down to pick her up. She yawned in his face before curling up against his chest.

Stiles could not help but coo at the picture they made.

“Well I best get this little one home, but I’ll see you around?” Chris asked.

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll definitely be seeing you at the school.”

Chris smiled and turned to go back the way they had come but paused at the last moment. “Would you like to walk with us again? This is a nice park and I’ll be bringing Mindy here again around the same time tomorrow.” 

“Can’t tomorrow.” Stiles replied, frowning at the disappointment that flashed across Chris’ face. “But maybe Wednesday?”

Chris smiled widely at that and nodded. “Wednesday sounds great. Have a good night Stiles.”

There was something about the way Chris said his name that had Stiles feeling warm all over. He watched Chris walk away before turning to continue following the path, rolling his eyes at himself. Hormones, seriously. 

A buzzing interrupted his thoughts and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see Deputy Parrish’s name on the screen. He swiped to answer the phone.

“Hello.”

“Stiles buddy, where you at?” 

“Seriously, you guys need to stop being intimidated by my dad. You _do not_ need to check up on me.”

“Well I was only half checking up on you.” Jordan admitted. “I actually brought you some curly fries from the diner.”

“Oh my god, did no one teach you any manners? Next time lead with that!” Stiles laughed as he turned the same way Chris had gone and headed for his jeep. “I’m just at the park, it’ll take me about 10 minutes to get home.”

“I’ll just leave them on your table, I need to get back to the station.” 

“Sweet, thanks Jay! You still coming over on Sunday for roast?” Stiles asked as he started to jog. Chris was nowhere in sight when he made it to his Jeep.

“Like I would miss it. Your dad’s already given me heck for missing the last dinner we had planned.” Jordan laughed and Stiles thought he heard a door shutting in the background. “Okay, have a good week and enjoy your fries.”

“Thanks! You too, I mean about your week. Shit, just have a good week.” Stiles groaned as Jordan laughed at him as he hung up the phone.

Jordan was one of his favourite deputies, the man had only recently joined the team, and he fit in nicely at the station. It helped that Jordan always brought Stiles curly fries when he had dinner at the diner, which was at least once a week.

The drive home went smoothly and Stiles found the rest of his night flew by, and it was only as he was going to sleep later that night that thoughts of Soulmates entered his mind, and that was only in his dreams.


	6. Cold Shoulder

When Stiles woke up on Tuesday morning there was a lightness in his chest that had been absent since Saturday morning. He could still feel the ache of where Peter should be but it felt covered somehow, like a soothing ointment had been rubbed into the wound and was slowly closing it up.

He took a deep breath, marvelling at how much easier it felt to fill his lungs - maybe the walk, the exercise, had done him some good. It’s not that Stiles was a couch potatoe but he was more of a sit-on-the-sidelines kind of guy (only because his best friend was more into basketball than lacrosse, and that was _so_ not Stiles’ sport).

Stiles glanced at the clock and realised that he had somehow managed to wake up before his alarm went off - a serious phenomenon. He stretched and basked in the morning glow flooding his room, a smile pulling at his lips because of how good he felt.

He wanted to question it but instead Stiles just let himself float on the eddies of the moment and got up. He had plenty of time for a pancake breakfast and he was going to take advantage of it.

His dad came downstairs just as Stiles was adding the last of the pancakes to an already impressive mound. Stiles watched as his dad glanced between him and the pancakes and then back to him. He laughed at the bemused look on his dad’s face and shooed the older man towards the table.

“Don’t ask, just eat!” Stiles grinned. “Hey! I should get that put on an apron or a tee shirt.” He laughed as he sat down at the table.

“Oh but I want to ask. I have all these questions.” The Sheriff said, shaking his head as he helped himself to breakfast. 

They ate in silence, both just letting themselves enjoy the hot food and the serenity of a quiet morning. When he was done, Stiles pushed away from the table and tried to collect his dad’s plate.

“Just leave the dishes. It’s not everyday that you cook me breakfast, I can clean the dishes. Now run upstairs and I’ll put on the coffee while you get ready for school.” His dad said with a smile, taking the time to ruffle Stiles’ already messy bedhead.

Stiles zipped up the stairs and actually managed to get a shower in before he had to leave, miracle of all miracles. He made quick work of getting dressed and actually had time to drink his coffee out of a mug instead of a tumbler.

Of course Stiles knew the energy burst would not last forever. As he was driving to school the gnawing tiredness that always nipped at his heels came back with a vengeance. Stiles actually had to pinch the back of his hand to bring himself back to the moment so he could drive safely to school.

The ache of his soulbond followed and it felt worse than ever. It is like every moment since he ran into Peter Hale has been a test in walking under the heaviest force of gravity. Stiles had a taste, a glimpse, and now his soul yearns for it.

Fucking Fate.

It would make Stiles wonder whether he imagined how great he felt earlier if not for the fact that he isn’t toting around a travel mug full of strong coffee and he is still pleasantly full from pancakes.

Stiles did not want a soulmate, never wanted to meet the one he had been given, and it is like all of his worst fears surrounding the entire ordeal of soulbonds have been brought to fruition. Seriously, if Stiles could talk to face to face with the being that is Fate he would give them a fucking piece of his mind.

No one is good enough to deserve someone who completes them and most of those who get their bonded ripped away from them do not deserve to go through that pain.

It is a flawed system in a flawed world surrounded by flawed people.

Stiles drags himself out of his jeep once he has parked at the school and groans at all the steps he has to climb up to get into the school. Luckily Derek is waiting for him at the bottom and he drapes himself on his best friend, using him as a crutch to get up the stairs.

“What is wrong with you today?” Derek grumbles, nudging Stiles in the ribs but otherwise not trying to throw him off.

“Oh you know, I had a knife fight with a ghost and lost and it sucked away all of my energy.” Stiles moaned dramatically.

Derek huffed and shoved Stiles at his locked while he went to his own. Stiles stuck his tongue out at Derek’s back and nearly bit hit tongue when he heard someone chuckle beside him.

He looked over and rolled his eyes, laughing as he gave Chris the stink eye. “Seriously dude, stalker.”

Chris raised a disapproving brow at Stiles and bit down on a smirk. “It’s Chris or Mr. Argent, not dude. And I’ll be working here, remember?”

But Stiles had stopped listening, brain getting stuck on the first part of Chris’ little speech.

“Hold the fuck on.” Stiles said, cutting his hand through the air as if it would physically stop Chris from speaking. “Chris Argent?”

Chris nodded.

“As in Kate Argent’s brother?”

Chris nodded but his smiled turned into a frown. 

“Your sister is a despicable human being.” Stiles hissed, overcome with rage. And of course, being who he was, Stiles’ mind started questioning every little thing about the man in front of him.

Were Chris and Kate part of the same cloth, soulmate rejectors? Did they go around destroying innocent people just for the amusement of it?

While Stiles did not want a soulmate he would never reject his, he would work for it. Even if the bond turned out to be purely platonic he would still work for it because if his parents bond had taught him anything it is that soulmates literally made breathing easier.

Stiles could use some help breathing, especially now.

“I’m s-sorry?” Chris stuttered, something Stiles knew to be highly uncharacteristic even though he barely knew Chris. “Did she, _did she hurt you_?” Chris asked, despair and anger colouring his voice. The man’s eyes lit up and if Stiles were not so furious himself he would question the reaction.

As it was Stiles could barely stand to look at the man. He managed just to be able to impart one last remark. “If I ever meet your sister I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

With that Stiles turned to see where Derek had gone. His best friend was still standing by his locker and Stiles felt his fury ratched up a notch as it looked like Derek was on the verge of tears. Derek did not cry except for when it came to his sister.

Though Laura took her anger out on Derek, they were thick as thieves and Derek would do anything for her. The fact that he was helpless to do anything in the situation Laura found herself in always turned Derek to tears.

It was just bad all around.

He stomped passed Chris, who stood unmoving, and grabbed Derek by the arm and dragged him to their first class.

If Stiles did not see Chris for the rest of the day it would still not be long enough to have his anger cooled off.

Not only was Chris’ sister Kate but he was also the person that Fate had decided complemented Peter perfectly, and Stiles is honest enough with himself to admit that jealousy is also playing a part in how he is feeling.

* * *

 

Thankfully Stiles did not run into Chris for the rest of the day however it did not mean that the man was not on his mind all day.

Stupid insufferable brain was fixated on all the connections it had made today and did not want to let Stiles forget anything. Of course, his jealousy was ever present as well and Stiles really just wanted to shake someone.

Or talk to his dad.

Unfortunately Derek was at the house as it was Tuesday, damnit, and Stiles was having issues concentrating. They were sitting in the living room, papers strewn about and laptops powered up, but if Stiles had contributed anything helpful in the last 20 minutes he would be extremely surprised.

“I’m going to go.” 

Stiles guiltily looked up at Derek. “Dude, sorry, no come on. I’m good, we can work on this.” Stiles waved Derek down, trying to placate him but also get him to stay where he was but Derek was shaking his head.

“There’s no point. We’re both obviously not with it right now.” Derek mumbled. “And honestly, I just want to go home and see Laura.”

Stiles could not fault that.

“Yeah, you’re right. Want a ride home?”

Derek blushed and looked down. “I kind of already texted Laura to pick me up and she’s outside.” He admitted, and Stiles could not help laughing.

“Dude, you should have said something earlier! But yeah, don’t sweat it. Maybe we should just leave it until this weekend again?” Stiles suggested, because now that Chris was working at the school it was unlikely that Stiles would be anything but riled up at the end of each day.

The school was not big enough to completely avoid the man unfortunately.

Derek quickly packed his stuff. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Same as last Saturday?” He waited for Stiles to nod before heading towards the door. “See you tomorrow!” He called over his shoulder.

“See ya!” Stiles called after him. 

He jumped to his feet and paced a bit before biting the bullet and pulling out his phone. The phone rang twice before his dad answered.

“Buddy, it’s going to be a late night unfortunately. Make sure you eat dinner because I won’t be home until after you’re in bed.”

Stiles huffed. “Dad, I think I can remember to feed myself.”

“Okay, Son. How is the project coming along?” The Sheriff asked.

Stiles sighed. “Derek actually just left.”

“What? Why?”

That was the opening Stiles was looking for so he dove in and told his dad about the revelations of the day. What were the odds that Stiles would run into a man named Chris and have it be the Chris whose soulmate was Peter Hale.

And of course Stiles had to go and like the guy and his cute dog. _Why?_

The Sheriff was quiet, humming here and there, until Stiles finished. His dad was cool that way.

“And how are you feeling?” His dad asked.

“Shit dad, why’d you have to go and ask me that?” Stiles complained as his bottom lip wobbled and he felt moisture gathering in his eyes.

He was not sad, he did not want to cry, but the body sometimes understood frustration to be the same thing. 

The Sheriff snorted. “Because I love you.”

“Dad.” Stiles whined. “Shut up, I love you too.”

“Kiddo, why don’t you come to the station and bring me dinner. I’ve got a lot of paperwork but you can sit in the office with me, or Deputy Parrish is around here somewhere. I’m sure he would not mind some company.” His dad offered, and Stiles thought it was a great idea.

When he would inevitably be confronted with all the issues again tomorrow he would think about them then, but for the moment he packed the thoughts off to the side and went to the station.

And it just so happens that Deputy Parrish was indeed around and conveniently free when Stiles walked over to him, so Stiles had sufficient distraction.

Unfortunately the distraction was cut short when Jordan received word of public intoxication.

_By none other than Peter fucking Hale_.


	7. Chasing Pavements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there is mention of blood and implied unintentional self-harm

Stiles was not allowed to leave the station, especially when his father found out exactly who was causing the disturbances. He sat Stiles down in his office and went to direct Deputy Parrish, and literally walked into Stiles as Stiles tried to escape the room.

His dad gave him a look before unceremoniously handcuffing Stiles to his desk.

“Dad, no, come on.” Stiles whined. This day had come from great to worst and he really really wanted to be able to witness Peter Hale’s humiliation.

“Stiles, no.” The Sheriff said and then left the room before Stiles could try and persuade his way out of the cuffs. Probably why his dad left in the first place, the man had an altogether to hard of a time saying no to his only son.

And the fact that his son’s soulmate happened to be involved was a recipe for disaster, so the Sheriff did the only responsible thing and locked Stiles in his office.

Stiles hated this. Hated that Fate was a dick, and apparently so was his soulmate. He hated Christopher Argent and his hateful sister. Stiles could literally feel the hate boiling away in him and it felt like at any moment he might explode.

The station was his safe space, it should not be tainted by drunken fools whose life mission was to leak into every part of Stiles’ life and fester like a wound. For Peter Hale was a wound, a bulbous infection that caused Stiles’ chest to feel like it was caving in and his soul to feel tossed out to sea.

And that was just in Stiles’ head, a place where he could not escape thoughts of the man, but this space - the Sheriff’s station - was supposed to be free of any mention of Stiles’ soulmate. Peter Hale was supposed to be a respectable part of society not meant for the likes of public intoxication and the backseat of cop cars.

It was all wrong. _Wrong wrong wrong._

Stiles kicked out at the desk in his rage and cried out in anger as he managed to catch his big toe just so on the corner so as to cause the maximum amount of pain. Of fucking course.

All too soon Stiles could hear the commotion of deputies trying to contain someone outside the office and he just _knew_ that that was Peter giving them a hard time. They did not deserve that. It was not their fault that Fate just to fuck Peter over, he had _no right_ to take out his frustration on those men and women out there.

Stiles strained towards the door, trying to catch any hint of Peter’s voice. He wanted to catch it in his ear, let it settle in his brain, so that he could condition himself to hate the sound forever. So that he would not be tempted to yearn for every particle of the man who did not recognize him.

Stiles did not even realise what he was doing until his father opened the door, took one look at him, and cursed. The Sheriff rushed over and quickly unhandcuffed Stiles, cradling his son’s torn and bloody hand.

“Jesus kid, what the hell were you doing?” His dad asked, equal parts appalled and distressed. 

Stiles stared down at his wrist in disbelief. He had not even felt the pain which now so clearly rang up his arm. “I-I didn’t even know I was doing it.” Stiles replied honestly.

That seemed to upset the Sheriff further and he steered Stiles towards the couch in his office. He sat Stiles down and called out for Parrish.

“Yeah boss?” Jordan asked as he stuck his head around the corner. He frowned when he took in Stiles’ wrist. “Geez kid, what the hell did you do?”

“Questions later Jordan, now I need you to get the medkit so I can fix this mess so it doesn’t infect.” The Sheriff diverted Deputy Parrish’s questions smoothly and the Deputy turned quickly to go fetch the kit.

“Son, I know you want to see your soulmate but I don’t think that’s the best idea at this time.”

Stiles whipped his head up to glare at his father. “I _do not_ want to see Peter.”

His dad lifted his hand as if to say, _and what’s this?_

Stiles frowned, maybe his dad had a point. Thankfully he was saved from answering when Jordan reappeared. He handed the medkit to the Sheriff and helped to clean and bandage Stiles’ wrist.

“So,” Stiles ventured when his wrist was dealt with and his dad and Jordan were just staring at him. “What are you going to do with him?” He nodded his head towards the door.

Deputy Parrish sighed and stood up. “Well, we’ve put him in a cell for the night to sober up. The idiot was swinging around a vodka bottle and yelling while swaying around the fountain. I think it only got called in because people were afraid he was going to fall into the fountain and drown himself, because it was a rather amusing sight to behold otherwise.”

“Should have just let him drown.” Stiles muttered but obviously not quietly enough.

“Everything alright Stiles?” Jordan asked him, squatting down again so that he could meet Stiles’ eyes.

This was why Stiles truly liked Deputy Parrish, the guy genuinely cared for him; This was why he also disliked the Deputy, he genuinely cared for him. Which meant that Jordan was altogether too nosy for his own good and ended up knowing way more about Stiles than everyone excepting his father and Derek.

It was a little embarrassing how he could not stop himself from spilling all to Jordan when the man looked at him with those big concerned eyes of his. Jordan was the big brother that he did not really want but was secretly glad he had.

“No.” Stiles finally responded to the Deputy’s question but refused to say more than that.

The Sheriff sighed as he looked from his Deputy to his son and back again. “Jordan, would you mind taking Stiles home? I’ll do the paperwork for Mr. Hale if you’re willing to feed my son and stay with him for a bit.”

Jordan frowned momentarily before smiling. “Yeah, of course.” He stood up and gestured for Stiles to do the same. “Come on buddy, I’ll drive you home.”

Stiles ignored the hand Jordan held out for him and pushed himself to his feet. He stomped his way out of the office and turned towards the cells before a hand on his shoulder caught him.

“That’s not the way to the parking lot.” Jordan admonished with a shake of his head. Stiles could see questions in his eyes but thankfully Jordan did not ask any of them.

Stiles grumbled, angry at himself because it had not been a conscious decision to turn that way. He allowed the Deputy to steer him out of the station and to the car.

“So, here’s the plan. We pick up chinese and then when we get to your house you’re going to ramble at me until you’re less moody, got it?” Jordan did not wait for an answer before he started the jeep and pulled out of the parking lot.

Stiles nodded, feeling miserable. Why the fuck could things just not continue to be _good_? He leaned his head against the window and watched the city lights fly by.

Jordan made Stiles call in their food order so it would be ready by the time they arrived to pick it up, and it was quick work to get to the house after that. Stiles trudged inside, chest hollow and head stuffed. He was not crying but everything felt tight, like he was too big for his skin but there was nowhere to go.

They set the food down at the table and grabbed some forks, sitting in silence as they ate. Stiles could feel the weight of Jordan’s stare, just waiting for him to open up.

And the thing was, Jordan would not care whether or not Stiles told him what was dragging him down. The Deputy just knew that once Stiles started talking he would feel better, even if all he did was complain about school.

Jordan deserved better though so Stiles reluctantly opened up. “Peter Hale is my soulmate.”

That caused the Deputy to pause, forkful of food stopped halfway to his mouth. Stiles watched the man to see what he would do but after a moment Jordan continued to eat, leaving it up to Stiles whether he continued on.

“But his soulmate is Chris Argent.”

More silence.

“Oh my god Jordan, just say something.” Stiles sighed in exasperation. While the actions of earlier probably said otherwise, Stiles was not going to break talking about this.

“Let me see if I have this right.” Jordan finished chewing his bite, swallowing exageratedly before continuing. “Peter Hale is your soulmate and Chris Argent is Peter’s soulmate.” Stiles nodded.

“Well, who is Chris’ soulmate?” 

Stiles gaped at Jordan. “How in the hell am I supposed to know?”

“Well, I mean, logically speaking it might be easy to figure out.” Jordan shrugged, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Yes, sure, because everything else about this scenario is so damn _logical_.” Stiles hissed. Jordan did that sometimes, spoke in riddles or jumped to conclusions that literally made no sense whatsoever.

“You have Peter, Peter has Chris, and Chris has…” Jordan let the sentence hang.

Stiles is pretty sure he was giving Jordan his best _what the fuck_ face because Stiles really did not see where he was trying to go with this. “And Chris has… who?”

Jordan merely leaned back in his chair, watching Stiles. Seriously, the idiot was one of his father’s best deputies but this was not of the times when his smarts was making an appearance. Clearly the Deputy’s mind was making connections that Stiles just could not see.

Because if Stiles were thinking logically then Jordan was most likely implying that Stiles was Chris’ soulmate.

_Wait._

_Hold the fucking phone._

“Are you shitting me?”

Jordan smiled, the _ah he finally got it_ smile that infuriated Stiles because he was not stupid. The conclusion was just absurd though, wasn’t it?

“It makes sense if you think about it.” Jordan shrugged.

Stiles frowned at him. “I _know_ it makes sense _but I don’t want it to._ ” He stared at the table, at his fingers drumming along the edge - restless. He shot to his feet, starling Jordan, and began to pace.

“But what does that even _mean_?” Stiles mumbled aloud, more to himself but he threw a helpless glance in the Deputy’s direction. “Is that even a thing?”

Jordan shrugged but Stiles was back to ignoring him.

“Obviously there’s a connection there, but what _kind_ of connection?” Stiles paused as he caught his reflection in the window. He looked as crazed on the outside as he felt inside, his emotions roiling.

“A triad bond.”

Stiles twisted around at Jordan’s proclamation. 

“If Peter is your soulmate, Chris is Peter’s soulmate, and you are Chris’ soulmate then it is not that much of a stretch to think you could all be each other’s soulmates.” Jordan said it so calmly, as if the words spewing from his mouth were not earth shattering to Stiles.

Or he knew they were and wisely chose to be the calm in the storm that was the maelstrom of emotions Stiles was currently spinning in. 

“I just-” Stiles rubbed at his eyes, pushing at them until he saw white spots popping up. “Why me?” He whispered.

“That’s a question that may never get answered, but you don’t have to figure it all out in one night anyway.” Jordan said as he stood up to clear the food away. “Why don’t you go pick out a movie and we’ll veg until your dad gets home.” He suggested.

And that sounded like best damn idea Stiles had heard all night because he was on the verge of crying and needed a distraction. Jordan was right, it was okay to forget and let himself sleep on everything that they had talked about.

Maybe all this stressing would be for nought. Maybe Jordan was wrong. Maybe nothing was connected and they were reaching for answers that just were not there.

_Maybe Stiles should figure out a better way to lie to himself_.


	8. Rumour Has It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I have been told there is quite a bit of ANGST in this chapter.

When Stiles wakes up on Wednesday morning he feels horrible. His eyes are crusted shut like he was crying in his sleep, and his head is pounding. He is tangled up in his sheets and sweaty, and he just wants to roll back over and go to sleep.

Last night was potentially life-changing in all the revelations thrown at him and Stiles does not want to face them in the light of day. He vaguely remembers his dad coming home and dragging him up the stairs, murmuring about figuring it all out tomorrow.

Except tomorrow was today and Stiles would really rather not figure out anything. 

He tries to close his eyes and roll back over but there is a knock at his bedroom door and Stiles rolls over to see his dad standing in his doorway.

“You’re looking rough, champ.” The Sheriff says, not unkindly.

Stiles blinks up at his dad and tries to look pathetic - really not much of a stretch on his acting skills at the moment. “Yeah, I am, so can I stay home?”

The Sheriff sighed and Stiles knew what the answer would be even before his dad opened his mouth. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Stiles scoffed. “Why not? It’s a great idea. I just found out I’m likely-” Stiles cut himself off. “That my life is likely way more fucked up than I originally thought. What better way to spend the day than at home, in bed.”

“Language Stiles, and no. I do not think it’s a good idea for you to be home by yourself today.” His dad sighed. “Yesterday was a rough day and I think you need to be around your friends today.”

Stiles grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his face. He groaned, trying not to let the lump in his throat swell any further - trying to stop the tears before they could fall. 

“If,” Stiles sniffed, moving the pillow so the lower half of his face was visible. “If you don’t want me home alone why don’t you stay home? Or I can come to the station with you.” He suggested hopefully.

There was a long silence and Stiles was tempted to move the pillow to look at his dad. At the same time though he knew the moment he met eyes with his father he would actually start crying.

“How about this,” The Sheriff offered. “There are some things I need to take care of at the station, but when I’m done I will come pick you up from school and we can go for a drive or something.”

And that, that does not sound too bad; sounds like Stiles could handle a few hours at school.

“Yeah, okay.” He sighs and throws the pillow at the foot of his bed. His dad is still standing in his doorway but it is easy enough for Stiles to not make eye contact with him as he stumbles about his room getting ready.

The Sheriff leaves to go get ready himself and they both end up downstairs long before Stiles needs to be at school so they decide to head out early and grab some grub at the diner. It’s better that way, Stiles thinks, getting out of the house.

There are too many thoughts clouding his head about what Jordan thrust at him last night in the kitchen and he just wants to run away from it all. His dad seems to pick up on that as he rambles on about everything and anything so long as it does not touch on soulmates or the persons involved in Stiles’ bond.

They even manage to have a nice breakfast, though Stiles frowns at the grease his dad consumes. It’s nice, quiet in a way their lives have not been in what feels like ages (even though it has not even been a week).

They manage to finish eating and make it to the school with enough time for Stiles to beat Derek - a feat which rarely happens - and he waves his dad off as he stands by the bike-rack. He only has to wait for five minutes before he sees Derek biking up the street and waves at his friend.

If Derek is confused by Stiles’ earliness, he does not show it when he takes off his helmet, merely smiles at Stiles and gestures towards the picnic bench. 

“Want to go work on our project until the bell rings?” Derek asks. 

Stiles shrugs. “Why not.”

Stiles knows he will not be able to concentrate, too many emotions and revelations flowing through his brain, but just maybe it will. They have been sitting for less than five minutes when Stiles hears someone walk up behind him and the person clears their throat.

Stiles really hopes it is not who he thinks it is. He turns around.

“I was hoping we could talk.” Chris Argent tells him, voice earnest and eyes pleading.

_Of fucking course._

 

* * *

Peter groans as he wakes with a crick in his neck and his back aching. It’s not the first time he has spent a night in a cell but that was over a decade ago when sleeping on a hard surface did not cause regret.

It does not help that his head feels like it has gone through a blender, and his stomach wants to purge itself.

He blinks open stinging eyes and bemoans all decisions that led to where he is. Until he remembers exactly _what_ circumstances led him to where he is and then he only wishes he could drown himself in alcohol again.

Of all the soulmates he could end up stuck with, it had to be Kate Argent’s big brother.

Was this some cosmic joke that only Fate got the punch line to?

Peter rubbed at his eyes before dropping his arms and crossing them over his chest. There was no point getting up when he had no idea how long the police would decide to keep him wallowing in his own stench.

Peter is only thankful that he did not vomit otherwise the cell would smell even worse than it already. Although, taking a sniff of himself, Peter could admit that he was contributing rather a lot to the smell he was currently stewing in.

He was not one for sentimentalities so he would not trace the words circling the left side of his chest but Peter knew them well enough that he did not need a visual reminder.

_She fucked up._

Peter laughed at the irony, at the true meaning behind his words. 

If only he had known that ‘she fucked up’ meant his niece ending up nothing more than a meat-suit walking around for months; If only he had known ‘she fucked up’ meant that he would forever be tied to the brother of the woman he wanted to kill; if only he had known ‘she fucked up’ meant that Fate had a sick sense of humour.

_If only._

Peter held in the sigh that wanted to be let loose, the sigh that would express all the emotions and thoughts he had without him having to say anything at all. 

“Mr. Hale.”

Peter did not jump at the sound of someone calling his name but it was a near thing. He glanced over at the Deputy standing outside the cell, the man was quite familiar.

“I did not realise my case of public intoxication was cause for overtime, Deputy Parrish.” Peter said mildly, so very curious about why the Deputy was still present.

The Deputy did not deign to respond to Peter’s insinuation. “Sheriff Stilinski wants a word with you before we let you go.”

That did cause Peter to react, brows rising in surprise. What was it about him that had the Sheriff of good ol’ Beacon Hills requesting a chat. Peter sat up and pushed to his feet, brushing dirt off his pants. “Well, by all means, if the Sheriff is wanting a chat who am I to refuse. We best not keep him waiting.” 

The Deputy chuckled as he unlocked the cell door and gestured for Peter to precede him down the hall. He was lead the short distance to the Sheriff’s office and Deputy Parrish knocked on the door and letting Peter in once they received the okay.

“He’s all yours, Sheriff.” Deputy Parrish said with a laugh and Peter glanced at him sharply. He did not like to be laughed at and clearly the Deputy knew something he did not, which further irritated Peter.

He should not have been caught out like a fool, like some drunkard unable to hold in his liquor. He should not have been given a dud of a soulmate mark. He should not have been involved in something that made him the butt of the joke for the Deputy.

_And yet._

“Have a seat Mr. Hale.” Sheriff Stilinski gestured towards the seat across the desk from him.

Though Peter has never had any interactions with the man he has only heard great things about Sheriff Stilinski. Talia raves about the man - which is a point against him but nothing the man can do to change it - and he does well by the town.

The man sighed but showed no other outward sign of tiredness or irritation. “I heard what happened.”

Peter watched the Sheriff, thoughts swirling around in his head. “Well, I should _hope_ so. This is your precinct after all, if you did not know what was going on I would be _so very_ concerned.” Peter smirked. 

Another sigh left the Sheriff’s mouth. “About your soulmate.”

Peter barely refrained from growling. Of course the news would have circulated the entire town by now, his family could never keep their mouths shut. “Next time you talk to my sister, do tell her that it is not _any_ of your business what happens in my life.”

“I,” The Sheriff paused. “It was not your sister.”

For the life of him Peter could not imagine how else the man would have found out, unless, “Your son wouldn’t happen to be best friends with my nephew, would he?” He asked, words clipped in his anger. It figures that any spawn of Talia’s would have the same penchant for gossip that their mother did.

The Sheriff nodded. “Yes, that would be Stiles.”

The name gave Peter pause, for he had heard it before. “Oh, yes, I do believe I’ve met him before.”

The Sheriff chuckled at that but Peter had no idea what could possibly be amusing about what he just said. 

“Anyway,” The Sheriff continued on. “I know you’re probably questioning a lot of things right now but I do not believe that alcohol is the answer to your situation.”

Peter scoffed. “My _situation_?” He sneered. “My situation is that my soulmate does not recognize me. Have you ever heard of that happening?” Peter did not wait for an answer. “I do not think so. So, respectfully, your _helpful_ advice can get bent.”

Peter was so done with this place, the town, and everyone in his acquaintance. He really did not think it would be that bad if he just up and left one day.

“Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about alcohol and soulmates, it’s not a combination that ends well for anyone.”

Peter had heard the rumours, of a newly minted Sheriff slowly morphing into a being that survived from one hour to the next only by the help of a bottle. The man sitting in front of him was definitely not the same man those whispers had been about, and it was easy to forget he had lost his wife - and soulmate - to a wasting disease that slowly killed them both. Except the Sheriff could not close his eyes and dive into the bliss of oblivion because he had the responsibility of caring for his son.

It made Peter respect the Sheriff just a little bit more.

“I’m just putting this out there,” The Sheriff began. “But there are people you can go talk to.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Is this only about the alcohol? I can assure you that an incident like that will not happen again. I do not relish the humiliation of being dragged down to the station and locked in a cell, ever again.”

“That, or the soulm-”

Peter cut the Sheriff off. “No. I know you mean well but I will not be speaking to _anyone_ about, well, _that._ ”

The Sheriff crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, he opened his mouth to spew more likely-to-be-unhelpful advice when there was a knock at the door. They both glanced over when it opened before the Sheriff said anything to see Deputy Parrish sticking his head into the room.

“Uh, Sir, could you please come out here for a moment?” The Deputy asked, something in his eyes intriguing Peter to sit up and pay attention.

“Can it not wait? We are almost done here.” The Sheriff declared, and that had Peter’s full attention turning to the man in charge. He definitely wanted to be done here so he could go home and plan what to do next.

“Please, Sir, it’ll just be a moment.” Deputy Parrish said, a hint of pleading in his voice.

The Sheriff pushed to his feet and looked at Peter. “You’ll have to excuse me, my apologies. I’ll be right back.”

Peter held back a sigh as the Sheriff and Deputy left the room, the door slightly ajar. He could not believe he had been caught inebriated in the first place, but with an end in sight to the humiliating experience Peter relaxed back into the seat.

Peter’s thoughts of what Talia will inevitably say when she finds out are interrupted when snippets of the Sheriff’s conversation filter through the door. 

While last night had been an _unfortunate_ mistake, Peter was not one to pass up an opportunity for some good gossip. And since there would undoubtedly be news of his escapades spread around town, he needed all the ammo he could get.

Forewarned is forearmed and all that utter nonsense.

“...looked a mess. Not sure what the story is but I think they’ve had a talk.” Parrish said.

The Sheriff said something to low for Peter to hear before continuing. “Take them to the break room. Let me finish with Mr. Hale and then I will be in to talk to them.”

Peter took that as his cue to step back to his chair but Deputy Parrish’s next words stopped him in his tracks. “Does he know?”

“No, he does not. Or if he does, he is very good at hiding it. Either way, we are not going to interfere. The process needs to be natural since nothing else about this situation is at all normal. You _will_ keep this to yourself, or you will not like the consequences.” The Sheriff warned and if Peter took a step back at the venom lacing the man’s voice.

He hurriedly made his way back to his seat as that sounded like the end of the conversation. He took a deep breath to settle his racing heart and casually leaned back in the chair, affecting an air of boredom - an easy enough feat as Peter was thoroughly done with being stuck in these four walls.

Peter waits a moment for the Sheriff to make his return, watching the clock for an entire minute before pushing to his feet and walking back to the door. Peering outside proves that the Sheriff and Deputy Parrish are no longer standing a few feet away.

In fact, poking his head out the door, Peter cannot see either man in the near vicinity. And, well, since the Sheriff had basically already told Peter (implied, the same thing essentially) he was free to leave, Peter took this as his chance.

If ever they wanted to get into contact with him, they had all of his contact information. Though Peter could not say it looked like he would be staying in his current residence much longer.

Peter slipped out the door and goes down the right corridor - the opposite one he had come from - and quietly made his through the station. Along the way he hears movement from an open doorway on the left hand side and he edges up to it.

He quietly and quickly looks around the doorframe and freezes when he sees who is moving around in what appears to be the station’s breakroom. The Sheriff’s son, Stiles, and Peter’s soul- and Christopher Argent.

_Does he know?_

The words float through his brain at that very moment, Parrish’s voice full of contained glee. Peter ruminates over the words as more come to the surface.

_The process needs to be natural since nothing else about this situation is at all normal._

Peter takes a large step passed the room, hurriedly walking away from the two people currently in the breakroom.

_Not sure what the story is but I think they’ve had a talk._

Peter nods at a few passing deputies, face pinched tight as unbelievable ideas start to populate in his brain.

_Take them to the break room._

Peter knows then, as he pushes open the doors and steps out into the fresh air, exactly what the Sheriff and Deputy Parrish were talking about. It is crazy, but the three of them in the same place after so many little instances is too much to be a coincidence.

Chris saying Peter's soulbonding words and walking away, as if completely unaffected, when Peter responded - as if Chris did not hear his own soulbonding words; Stiles’ face right after Peter saved him from an inevitable fall; the two of them in the breakroom after the Sheriff’s odd concern towards Peter’s soulmate situation.

The sun seems too bright and breathing in air hurts his lungs. Peter makes his way down the street, long strides taking him ever further from the unlikely truth behind him.

After all of his _hoping_ and secret dreaming concerning his soulmate, _this_ is what Peter is stuck with.

An unreciprocated triad bond with the brother of his niece’s soulmate and the Sheriff’s son.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.
> 
> \- M


End file.
